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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25659001">Digimon: Toward the Last Frontier</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mujakinamamade/pseuds/mujakinamamade'>mujakinamamade</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Digimon Merged Multiverse [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Digimon Frontier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Angst, Friendship, Gen, Sequel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:55:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,335</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25659001</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mujakinamamade/pseuds/mujakinamamade</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Two years have gone by after their adventure in the Digital World; things have happened, some things have changed, and some other things have remained the same. And as they try to accept that they might never go back, the six Warriors are called again: a new enemy of unknown origins has appeared and stationed his armies all over the Digital World, just so he can get his hands on a single thing.</p>
<p>The Warriors will have to find holders for the four Spirits left if they want to defeat this enemy that was sent from beyond the frontier.</p>
<p>(Part of my Digimon Merged Multiverse series, but you don't have to read hirenmonogatari to understand it)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Digimon Merged Multiverse [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/726258</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Reunion at Shibuya</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello, everyone! If you're here after reading my previous fic, hirenmonogatari, you might remember how I mentioned that story has been a work in progress since 2014... But since last October, I've been polishing it even more in order to write the whole story properly, and it has become a whole project that will include four different fics. </p>
<p>And for those who didn't read hirenmonogatari, that's fine! This is the proper starting point of the series, and to be quite honest, I ended up changing several things. </p>
<p>I hope you all enjoy this chapter!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Commozione! It’s today!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Izumi almost tripped on the tangled bed sheets as she hurried off her bed to go look at the calendar to make sure it really was the day, as if she hadn’t checked it between every step of her bed time routine last night.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But there it was: April 4, 2004.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well, it wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>exactly </span>
  </em>
  <span>the day she had been waiting for—the official date was the 7th, but because it was difficult to meet during school days, they had decided to get together the first Sunday of April.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The walk to Kouji’s house was a short one, and she had learned it easily—not surprising, considering she had visited him more than once after she moved. Even with everything she had learned and experienced in the Digital World, she had been scared when her parents told her they’d have to move again; then they explained they’d just move to Yokohama, and then she found out she’d be living close to Kouji and they would even attend the same middle school, and everything was fine again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It took only a few seconds after she rang the bell for someone to open the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good morning, Minamoto-san! Is Kouji ready?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good morning, Izumi-chan. He’ll be here in a minute, do you want to—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m ready!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Izumi looked at him for a moment; she had suggested a few days ago that maybe he should try changing his hair a little, maybe even part his hair like Kouichi’s, to have a new style since they would become middle schoolers; Izumi herself had started wearing her hair in a half-ponytail. Kouji had complained at first, saying there was no need for him and Kouichi to look alike more than they already did, but at the end he had loosened his ponytail a little, and his hair was parted. Despite it not being such a big change, she was still not used to it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouji glared at her, blushing under her gaze.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If it’s so weird, I’ll comb it back.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, no! It’s fine! I’m sure Kouichi will be happy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouji turned away from her in an attempt to hide his flushed cheeks, and waved good-bye to his mother before walking to the station with Izumi.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was walking a step in front of her—still hiding his embarrassment for sure—, so she took the chance to </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>look at him. Back when they first met, she was pretty sure she was about the same height, or maybe even slightly taller than Kouji, but now his eyes were a bit too high and she had to tilt her head back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He turned around.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is something wrong?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was her turn to blush, but laughed to keep the attention off it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, nothing! It’s just… It’s been two years already, huh?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s right. We were there for close to a year, right? And it turned out that it was barely a few minutes in this world.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wonder if it was time travel, or if time is just that different between the two worlds. There’s also the time Takuya came back...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Izumi fixed her grip on her backpack straps, and Kouji looked at it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“By the way… What do you even have in there?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Izumi glanced away. She knew he knew what kind of stuff was in there, because he probably was carrying the same kind of things in the messenger bag hanging from his shoulder, and she felt like there was no need to mention it, just like there had been no need to say it last year, when all of them had shown up with bags and backpacks filled to the brim.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know… </span>
  <em>
    <span>stuff</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We know there’s no guarantee—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They stayed in silence for a moment, both keeping their eyes away from each other.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry. I know we’re all aware, but...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, you’re right.” Izumi shook her head. “I know there’s no guarantee that we’ll ever go back, but for some reason, carrying things that would be useful there makes me feel more at ease. Everywhere I go, I carry a mini first aid kit, or a flashlight, or even a compass. I don’t even know if a compass would work there, but…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouji nodded and hesitated only for a second before speaking again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If it makes you feel better, I… I </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>have a first aid kit and some rope in my bag.”  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Izumi giggled and took a deep breath. Maybe she should try to talk about other things; there would be plenty of time to talk about their adventure once they met with the others.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, that’s right! Takuya just moved too, didn’t he?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. I’m glad, actually. Sometimes I feel like he’s not telling the truth when he says everything’s fine, so I’ll be more at ease now that Takuya is close to him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your brother is not helpless, you know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, but—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you worry that much about him, then you should tell him.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi struggled to regain his breath as Takuya observed him with concern.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think you should work on getting up earlier. I don’t like the idea of you running around the station.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi glared at him, still out of breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up… you were also… running around the station </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>day.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ahaha yeah, I guess…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It still took him a couple of minutes to fully recover, and they finally went on to buy their tickets. The train car was almost empty except for the guy with an obvious hangover that was sleeping in a corner, allowing them to sit comfortably along with their luggage. Kouichi took a deep breath, and then looked at Takuya—or rather, his backpack. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So you brought stuff this time as well?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, but so did you, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi shrugged, but didn’t fight the smile that appeared on his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just a few things. Last time I was even less prepared than all of you, and I don’t want to be caught by surprise again.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, I know how you feel. I was talking with Tomoki yesterday, and he mentioned it too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve been meaning to ask, will you be okay? Since you had to move and leave all of your soccer teammates behind.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Takuya shrugged.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll be fine. Of course, I miss them, but now I have an advantage over them if our schools play against each other.” He leaned back and crossed his arms behind his head, ignoring the fact that the advantage would work both ways. “By the way, are any of your friends going to the same school? Are they in the soccer club?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, my friend is attending too. He’s not really a sports person, though.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your friend, huh? What’s his name?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Minami Chikara. We’ve known each other since third grade; he looks like he’s really quiet, but he’s actually such a hot-headed guy—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, like you, then?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi gave Takuya an incredulous look, while the boy in question had turned his body towards him, with a smug grin plastered on his face. Kouichi frowned and glanced away, feigning ignorance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that so? Then, who was the one who wanted to take on the real Cherubimon on his own? And who was the one who tried to attack him in his light dungeon? Who was the one who got between us and Lucemon’s attack and </span>
  <em>
    <span>almost died</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, I got it, I got it!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By now Takuya’s grin had disappeared, but he was still facing Kouichi. For his part, Kouichi had turned his face away from Takuya..</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Takuya sighed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry. It’s not that I’m not grateful you saved us, but—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“—But you were scared that I wasn’t going to wake up.”  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both of them stayed in silence for a couple of minutes, and eventually Kouichi relaxed and he sighed, turning around so his body was facing Takuya, although his eyes were directed downwards.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kouji said that every time we talked. At first I thought I understood; I had seen him and all of you unconscious when we landed on the moon, but I quickly found out you were fine… I didn’t truly understand until he collapsed when we were at the park that May.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I remember when you called that night; you sounded really scared.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was terrified.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Takuya huffed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That Kouji, scaring us like that, and never saying anything… But, when I think about it, we should have realized that something was wrong </span>
  <em>
    <span>way </span>
  </em>
  <span>before that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi raised his head to meet Takuya’s eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh? What do you mean?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm? Oh, right. By the time you joined, the battles got more intense and it was only natural we were pretty beaten up, right? But, from the very beginning, Kouji was always in a bad shape after devolving, even with rather easy battles.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How come I never heard about that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Takuya shrugged.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well… We didn’t realize how bad the situation was until you told us what happened, and we rarely had the chance to meet up during the first year, right? As time went by, it didn’t feel right to bring it up. Kouji would have gotten mad.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi let out a weak chuckle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re right, he would have. But he wasn’t really aware of the situation until that day either, so it’s not like he was hiding it on purpose.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Even if he had known, he wouldn’t have told us.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, I guess.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were in silence again; it would still take a few more minutes to reach Shibuya Station. It didn’t take Takuya long to decide on a topic that would likely not end up in another argument.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“By the way, it’s really nice that we’ll be going to the same school, just like Izumi and Kouji. It’s too bad that Tomoki and Junpei are too far away in age to do the same despite living so close.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. I’m really happy about it. Kouji is…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm? Is something wrong with Kouji?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong </span>
  </em>
  <span>exactly, but when we call each other, he says he’s fine, and yet… I still feel like something’s bothering him and won’t tell me what it is.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then just ask him again today. I think he won’t be able to lie if you ask him face to face.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Man, they’re taking so long!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sure they’ll be here soon, Junpei-san.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tomoki and Junpei were waiting in front of Hachiko’s statue; it was early enough that the place wasn’t crowded, but it surely wouldn’t take long to be since it was the last weekend of spring break. As the only two who actually lived in Shibuya, they had arrived before the rest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, but I haven’t seen Izumi-chan in such a long time!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But we saw her before she moved two weeks ago…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Exactly!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tomoki sighed and shook his head; it looked like he was never going to change. After noticing the silence went on for too long, Junpei looked at Tomoki, who was directing his eyes toward the station again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey… did you bring those this year, too?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tomoki gripped the strap of his backpack a bit tighter, and just nodded in response.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you bring </span>
  <em>
    <span>those</span>
  </em>
  <span>, as well?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Junpei was less sheepish about the issue, and proudly patted the duffel bag hanging from his shoulder, which made the chip bags and snack wrappers crunch loudly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, I wouldn’t be myself if I didn’t, would I?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both of them laughed for a moment, but Tomoki turned serious again in an instant.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Junpei-san… do you think there’s a chance we might be able to go back?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Junpei sighed after thinking for a few seconds.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course, there’s no way to tell. Just because we gather here every year doesn’t mean that we’ll be able to go back </span>
  <em>
    <span>today</span>
  </em>
  <span>. For all we know, we could go back tomorrow, or during summer, or in ten years—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Or never.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...Or never.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tomoki! Junpei! We’re here!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Izumi waved as she and Kouji walked towards them. As usual, Junpei immediately went to greet her first, while Kouji and Tomoki looked on halfway between amused and annoyed. Tomoki then realized something.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shouldn’t Takuya-nii and Kouichi-san be here already? They live closer than you do.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Apparently Kouichi slept in and was late to the station, or so Takuya’s text said. They shouldn’t take long.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Indeed, only a couple of minutes later, Takuya and Kouichi arrived; upon seeing everyone else already there, Kouichi attempted to run the rest of the way. Kouji barely managed to react when Takuya grabbed his arm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What did I say earlier?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi sighed and rolled his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...No running near the station.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi yanked his arm away, and Izumi, Junpei, and Tomoki couldn’t help laughing a little. On the other hand, Kouji just sighed, oddly relieved that Takuya was looking after his brother.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, are we all ready?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After everyone’s affirmative, the group started walking towards the east. Just five minutes away from Shibuya Station stood Konno Hachimangu Shrine.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tomoki had found the Konno Hachimangu shrine the day they went to the Digital World.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi was alive, they had all cried, and after making sure they wouldn’t lose contact with each other, Tomoki had realized that it was late and his mother would be worried about him. But between the sun going down and stopping to cry a bit more when his brain randomly decided to remind him of some moment or another, Tomoki took a wrong turn and ended up lost. After finding the gate to the shrine and deciding to ask for directions there, he met Hinata-san.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata-san was a miko who worked in the Konno Hachimangu shrine, and while accompanying Tomoki to make sure he got home safe, she asked him how he had gotten lost in the first place. When he told her about how his friend had fallen downstairs at Shibuya Station, was rushed to the hospital, and almost died, Hinata-san realized that the ambulance that had passed by the shrine earlier was likely the one taking Kouichi to the hospital.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know? If your friend fought so hard to stay alive, maybe he was blessed by Hachiman. After all, he’s the guardian of warriors.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That’s what Hinata-san said before Tomoki’s mother spotted them and thanked her for looking after Tomoki. Takuya had asked him to text when he got home once it was decided that he would be the one staying behind until Kouichi’s mother arrived, so Tomoki also told him what Hinata-san had said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then, about a month later, he got the news of Kouji’s visit to the hospital.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi had arranged for Kouji to meet his birth mother on Mother’s Day at Kamezuka Park, when he suddenly collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. But he would be fine, and when he later visited Konno Hachimangu shrine on his own and told Hinata-san about it, she informed him that there was a Hachiman shrine next to Kamezuka Park as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That couldn’t be a coincidence, right?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tomoki, are we really going to do this every year?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was the one leading the way, so he looked over his shoulder to look directly at Junpei.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course! We have to thank Hachiman for looking after us.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tomoki looked slightly offended that someone was questioning the tradition he had suggested, and Junpei sighed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I get he’s supposed to be the guardian of warriors and all, but…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on, Junpei!” Izumi lightly elbowed him on the arm. “We haven’t been able to visit a shrine together for New Year so far, so let’s at least do this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And you can’t deny that it’s weird that</span>
  <em>
    <span> every time</span>
  </em>
  <span> one of us narrowly avoids death there’s a Hachiman shrine nearby.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Calm down Takuya, it has only happened twice. And there are </span>
  <em>
    <span>thousands </span>
  </em>
  <span>of Hachiman shrines.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But it’s still weird that it happened two times!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“To me it looks like it’s Kouichi and Kouji’s luck. Whether it’s good or bad luck it’s a different story though.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm, maybe. Hey, Kouji, Kouichi, what do you two think?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fate.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Coincidence.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The twins looked at each other for a moment after their coordinated but opposite answers. They quickly looked away from each other; Kouji shoved his hands into his pockets and Kouichi rubbed the back of his head. The six of them stopped at the bottom of the stairs that would take them to the shrine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Woah, there’s kind of a gap there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a moment of hesitation, Kouji walked past his friends and started climbing the stairs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Does it matter, Takuya? Let’s just go to the shrine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After giving thanks for being able to meet once again and praying for the meetings to come, they went to see Hinata-san, who was tending to the sale of fortunes and charms, as usual.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Himi-kun, you’ve gotten taller again, haven’t you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just a little.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘Just a little’ was an understatement; Tomoki was just one or two centimeters shorter than Takuya, who had grown quite a bit himself in the last year.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you going to draw fortunes or buy charms?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fortunes, please.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After drawing their numbers and receiving their fortunes, the six of them stood in a circle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wonder if we’ll all get the same fortune again?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Last year we all got future blessing, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. Everything else was different, though.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, let’s open it at the same time. One, two—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone unfolded their papers, and “half blessing” could be read on all of them. Izumi decided to read the rest of the fortune aloud.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What you’re wishing for will come true. People you didn’t know you were waiting for will arrive. You will go back to the place you wish to see. A new—” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The children felt a cold weight, one they hadn’t felt in quite some time, take over their hearts, and it reflected on the atmosphere surrounding them in such a way that Hinata-san noticed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is everything alright? What did you get?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tomoki turned around and laughed, trying to appear as unconcerned as possible.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nothing, we all got half blessings, that’s all!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Behind him, his friends were still staring at the last line written on their fortune.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>A new enemy will appear.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They stayed at the park near the shrine for their picnic; after laying down several picnic blankets, they brought boxes of food and bottles of tea out of their backpacks and bags, which still looked half full. As they sat down and Junpei gave everyone a plate, Takuya turned towards Tomoki.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tomoki, are you still friends with Katsuharu and Teppei?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes! The last time I saw them they said Teruo-san and Chiaki-san were doing well. Apparently they’re also meeting today.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Izumi sneaked some vegetables onto Takuya’s meat lover’s plate, ignoring him when he protested.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, that’s good to hear! By the way, Takuya… Your hair got longer, didn’t it? What are you gonna do about it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Eh, I think I’m gonna keep it like this. I’ll just tie it back for school.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi looked at Takuya, who was in front of him, and then at Izumi and Kouji, who were sitting to his left.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If Izumi starts keeping it in a ponytail, you two and Kouji could start a club.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“True! Then, Kouichi, let your hair grow and join us too!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know, hair that long seems troublesome. But…” He looked at his brother again, and smiled a little. “If it made you happy, then I’d consider it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouji blushed and could hear Izumi giggling beside him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s it, I’m combing it back.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, Kouji, wait! I think it suits you! That’s why I suggested it in the first place!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Izumi’s pleas went unheard and Kouji let his hair down, used his hand to comb it back, and tied it again, although it ended up being higher than usual. Izumi sighed, but then brought a hand to her chin, thinking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Speaking of clubs… Junpei, which club did you end up choosing last year?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The drama club! I wish there had been a magic club or something like that, but I like working on the lights and backgrounds, and being on stage is fun too!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tomoki started going through his backpack as he remembered something.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You couldn’t go last year, but… ah! Here it is!” Tomoki brought a tiny photo album out of his backpack. “I went to the festival at Junpei-san’s school. Look!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There were several pictures of Junpei, playing the part of the Mad Hatter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Heh, being on stage really suits you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks, Takuya! This year we’re gonna have a musical! By the way, have you guys thought about which club you’d like to join?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Takuya immediately raised his hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The soccer club!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Junpei rolled his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, that was obvious. What about you, Kouichi?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Go home club.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, I see… Then, what about you, Izumi-chan?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wonder… There’s a cooking club, but I’m also interested in the English club… What about you, Kouji?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The English club, probably…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Silence permeated the group and it became awkward before anyone could decide on another topic to talk about. The weight of the words printed on the fortunes was suffocating, but the tension among them was too. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Junpei was the first to break.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on… I know we all want to go back, but are we really going to believe what the fortunes said?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Takuya crossed his arms and sighed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, it’s kinda hard to ignore that the six of us got the exact same one…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Last time Ophanimon gave us directions through our phones.” Kouji took his out of his bag to make a point. “It makes more sense for the Digimon to interfere with our phones than with printed fortunes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“See? Kouji gets it!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then, a familiar symbol flashed on the screen for a second.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ophanimon?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After everyone blurted out the name at once, Takuya, Izumi, Tomoki, and Junpei hurried to take their own cell phones out of their pockets. As Kouji looked at his phone, hoping to see the symbol again, he could feel a sudden, dull pain deep in his chest. It only took him a split second to confirm it was, luckily, not physical. Instead, it was the feeling that there was something inherently different about him that set him apart from others; that no matter how close they could become, there was still a gap somewhere between them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was no stranger to that feeling, but it wasn’t him. He looked to his right where his brother seemed lost in thought, staring at the ground, and his hand hovering over his forehead, where Ophanimon’s symbol had been reflected when Velgrmon was about to attack Kouji.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouji’s eyes widened slightly at his realization. At first he thought it might be about the phone; his brother was still the only one without his own cell phone, but when Kouji had clumsily brought up the delicate issue once over the past year, Kouichi had made it clear that he was fine, and didn’t want or expect that kind of gift from his brother, and declared that it was the first thing he would buy when he started a part time job in high school.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No, it wasn’t about the phone— </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The vibration from his phone and the surprised gasps from his friends distracted Kouji, and Ophanimon’s symbol appeared again on the screen, although it looked glitchy. A static-ridden voice then gave them instructions.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“E-ryo-e… Go… Shi-ya… Sta-n…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The message was repeated three more times, with the static affecting different parts each time. But the instructions were clear: Ophanimon wanted them to go to Shibuya Station again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was no hesitation; they had been hoping this would happen for the last two years. Everything was quickly gathered and put back inside bags and backpacks or disposed of, and they tried to keep their excitement under control by making their way to the station as orderly as possible.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Of course, this also helped them avoid a repeat of certain incidents at the station, but to Kouichi’s relief, no one mentioned the issue this time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even with Ophanimon’s message echoing in their minds, the children couldn’t deny the apprehension in their hearts as the cramped elevator went down. The previous year they had tried to reach the underground Trailmon station and failed miserably—and Tomoki might or might not have tried more than once on his own—so they all visibly relaxed when the lights indicating the station’s levels went past the designated markers and the elevator sped up ever so slightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a thud, the elevator reached the final level, and they were welcomed by the sight of a deserted platform and a single Trailmon waiting for them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, what are we waiting for?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Takuya’s words prompted his friends to sprint toward the Trailmon, but Kouichi caught Kouji’s arm before he took more than one step.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kouichi?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He hesitated for a moment before speaking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you sure?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouji relaxed his shoulders when he heard the doubt in his brother’s voice. Though he was speaking quietly, the rest of the group stopped when they noticed what was happening.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know what the doctor said. I don’t want the same thing happening again.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi let go of his brother’s arm, but held his gaze. Instead, Kouji held Kouichi’s shoulders.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The damage was repaired, so I will be fine. It’s been two years. Also, Ophanimon wouldn’t have called us if it wasn’t important.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That alone seemed to ease Kouichi’s worries at least a little, and Kouji gave him a small smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And I will have you looking after me too, niisan.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Worm increased the speed, Takuya found himself holding onto the edge of the seat, waiting for the turbulence they had experienced the first time right before their cell phones turned into digivices, but it never came. By the time he realized it, they were already on the other side of whatever portal they had crossed and Flame Terminal was visible in the horizon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His phone was still a phone, too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The issue was forgotten when Worm started slowing down, and they could see not only Bokomon and Neemon waiting for them on the platform, but also a group of familiar faces. They would be lying if they said they didn’t start tearing up upon seeing their old friends welcoming them back into their beloved second home.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Worm finally stopped, and the children rushed to exit the car.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bokomon! Neemon!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As much as they tried to hide it, Bokomon started crying as the children formed a circle to hug their Digimon friends. Among the group were a Floramon from Soft Breeze Village, Kouji’s friend Gotsumon, the tiny Kokuwamon Junpei met at the Wind Factory, and a Bearmon that they hadn’t seen before, but that Tomoki was sure he knew from </span>
  <em>
    <span>somewhere</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ahhh! It’s really you! When the Three Angels told us we could see you again, I couldn’t believe it!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bokomon’s sobbing continued for a little bit, but soon enough the sobs turned into sniffles, even as Bokomon clung to Kouichi’s leg, exclaiming how Löwemon had told them he was alive, but that they were so glad they could actually see him again. Kouichi, although happy that Bokomon had been so concerned about him, couldn’t do much to calm them down any sooner.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What finally did it was Neemon talking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you finished?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bokomon immediately dried their tears and pulled hard from Neemon’s waistband.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up, Bakamon! There are important matters at hand!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“—Neemon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bokomon cleared their throat, and looked seriously at the six children.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Listen! In the last few days, large groups of Evilmon have appeared in several zones of the Digital World.” Those zones seemed to include the homes of the rest of their Digimon friends. “They have not made any moves yet, and an Evilmon by itself is not very powerful, but there are thousands, if not tens of thousands of them. It looks like they are awaiting orders from someone, but we do not know yet who that is.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bokomon took out the book and held it so the six children could see the page showing Evilmon. It did look too weak to be a serious threat, but they knew better than to underestimate a possible enemy, especially considering their numbers and the fact that they didn’t know who was their leader.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The numbers have increased, but I wonder if this will be as hard as fighting against Lucemon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bokomon closed the book and placed it back inside their haramaki, then crossed their arms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Without knowing the identity of the leader, it is hard to tell, Junpei-han. However, we were told by the Great Angels that they think the enemy came from a place that is not the Digital World, or the Human World.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Neither of those? Then from where else…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi left his question incomplete, his voice trailing off into silence as he brought a hand to his chin and closed his eyes. Everyone watched him curiously until he sighed and dropped his hands in resignation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I once heard Cherubimon talk to himself about something that might be related, but I can’t be sure until I ask him… If he even remembers.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, in any case, we should go talk to them, right? So, everyone, let’s go see Ophanimon, Seraphimon, and Cherubimon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The children nodded in agreement with Takuya, but then Neemon decided to talk again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s no Ophanimon, Seraphimon, or Cherubimon though.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Enemy's Demands</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Just a heads up! I'm changing some of the Digimon's designs, though most relevant for this story in particular is Fairymon/Shutumon. I'm planning on getting some pictures done, but I still have no idea when they'd be ready. Anyway, I hope you like the chapter! I'll try not to take as long with the next one, haha.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“There’s no Ophanimon, Seraphimon, or Cherubimon though.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Neemon’s words left the six children dumbfounded for a moment, until Takuya managed to stammer out some words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What— What do you mean? They had already been reborn when we left, so how—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t listen to this Bakamon!” Bokomon said while snapping Neemon’s waistband once again. “What he means is that the Three Great Angels have not reached that stage of evolution yet.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sighing that was half out of relief and half out of resignation at Neemon’s usual airheadedness could be heard from the group of children. Bokomon clapped twice to get their attention back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Anyway, there is no time to lose! Let’s go see them at once!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone sat inside the Trailmon, who announced their direct trip to the Forest Terminal and pulled away from the station at maximum speed, causing the children and Digimon to fall on top of each other.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Bokomon…” Junpei said once he was upright on his seat again. “Even if we go directly to the Forest Terminal, and we don’t have to search for our Spirits, deal with moody Trailmon, and avoid being attacked by these armies of Evilmon you mentioned… Won’t it still take a long time to arrive?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right… It did take us more than a month to get there.” Takuya said with a sigh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Like Junpei-han said,” Bokomon started after clearing their throat, “that was because of the detours that took us to your Spirits, the Trailmon that would refuse to take us the whole way, and the Digimon that would attack. And also, because you didn’t know the way to the Forest Terminal.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We didn’t know the way either.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Silence!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As the sound of an elastic band hitting its target’s waist echoed through the car, Kokuwamon tried to get Junpei’s attention by pulling on his sleeve.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But, I’m happy you took the time to visit the factory, oniichan! We were able to meet, and thanks to all of you we could go back to the forest.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, well— I guess that’s true! I was happy to meet you too, Kokuwamon.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It took them until the evening of the third day to reach Forest Terminal, with occasional stops to get enough food for everyone, and at night so Worm could sleep. While they arrived safe and sound to the Terminal with no setbacks to speak of, the presence of the Evilmon armies was impossible to ignore as they watched over their every move like a legion of creepy gargoyles perched over trees, rocks, and cliffs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That’s how it had been since the invaders arrived.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After climbing the stairway to the entrance of the castle, they were received by a little blue Digimon, who bowed to them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It is a relief to see that you arrived safely, Warriors. I am V-mon; I am currently serving Lord Angemon."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Wait, Angemon? Is that—?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That’s right, Izumi-han!” Bokomon’s eyes lit up with parental pride. “My precious child Patamon has evolved into Angemon! It’s all because of the hard work I put into raising that child!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As they listened to Bokomon’s stories of looking over the three Angels while they were mere Child level Digimon, they followed V-mon until they reached a great room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Lord Angemon, they're here."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Said Digimon looked up from the map he was focused on, along with Turuiemon and Darcmon, and the three of them smiled, despite the circumstances.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Welcome back, Legendary Warriors. We're glad to see you again… Unfortunately, we are once again in need of your help."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were quickly given a seat, spread out between the three angel type digimon. V-mon gave their Digimon companions seats close to them, and hurried off to attend to his duty to prepare a place for their visitors to spend the night.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The holographic map in the center of the room showed red dots in various sizes, with a great amount concentrating in the Continent of Darkness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm sorry to have sent such a vague message. As you can see… We simply do not possess the same amount of power we had two years ago. I trust that Bokomon and the rest of your friends have informed you of our current situation."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Takuya nodded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"They did, Darcmon. We also saw the armies of Evilmon on the way here."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"They haven't done anything except stand there, right?" Tomoki looked over the map, with a hand on his chin. “And yet, they have already terrorized the local Digimon with their simple presence.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But someone’s clearly behind all of this. There’s no way such a big amount of Digimon don’t have someone coordinating them.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s right, Junpei.” Turuiemon waved a hand over the map, and a silhouette appeared on top of it. “We couldn’t see who was the Digimon behind the invasion, but we know whoever it was came directly from the Dark Area. My companions and I had to flee when their arrival destroyed our castle.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, but last time only Lucemon was imprisoned there. Where did this new enemy come from?” Kouichi turned to look at Turuiemon, who nodded and silently gestured towards Darcmon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The Dark Area is a mysterious place, even for us. We know God created it to serve as a graveyard of deleted data… Though, you could also call it the ‘Hell’ of the Digital World.” Darcmon summoned a visual of the Digital World and the Dark Area within, replacing the silhouette of their new enemy. “However, we have discovered ancient texts in my library that describe it as some sort of liminal area that connects to worlds beyond our frontiers.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“As an example, that is the place where I found you wandering, Kouichi.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi felt his hands turn cold as everyone’s eyes fell upon him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn't spend much time there, but… I think calling it 'hell' is appropriate.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So we know the Dark Area also connects to the Human World, but if the texts describe ‘worlds’, then one of those must be where this enemy came from.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It is as Kouji says.”  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After Darcmon’s words, each angel summoned a certain number of digivices; three from Darcmon, two from Angemon, and one from Turuiemon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Since we are lacking in power, we received help from a few Digimon to re-create these,” Angemon said as they all entrusted the children with the digivices. “And unfortunately, we are also unable to give you the same amount of power you used to have.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Both Human and Beast Spirits are inside your Digivices, but Takuya, Kouji— we could only manage to allow you the power of Double Spirit Evolution. You can no longer use the other Spirits to evolve into KaiserGreymon and MagnaGarurumon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both boys looked at their own digivice, which had their original designs. Takuya smiled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s fine, Darcmon. Honestly, taking the Spirits from everyone else didn’t feel right.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Takuya’s right. I just hope we’ll be able to—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouji’s words were interrupted by the sounds of the castle’s crystal walls crashing and breaking. By the time a group of Evilmon arrived to the room with an unconscious V-mon as a hostage, the three Angels were ready to fight, and the six children had summoned their data rings as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A tall figure approached from behind the Evilmon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now, now, is that any way to treat a guest?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The figure towered over its minions, and the colorful, clown-like attire didn’t match at all with the Evilmon’s somber appearance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Takuya was the first to react.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who are you?! What do you want?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone’s fists tightened around their digivices, and some data rings changed from a single one to a cluster of them. The enemy chuckled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, please! I’m just here to talk. I’m sure we can solve our little issue by negotiating instead of going straight to war.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm. Says the one who invaded our world with a massive army.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The clown ignored Junpei’s words and calmly took a few steps until he was in front of his minions, who did not ignore Junpei’s words and instead raised a claw against V-mon’s neck, daring him to interrupt their master again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let me introduce myself— My name is Piemon, and I want you to surrender.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you really think we’ll surrender just because you’re asking nicely </span>
  <em>
    <span>after </span>
  </em>
  <span>invading the Digital World?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, why not, Warrior of Ice? This way, there is no fighting and no one dies… Well, no one would as far as I know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Takuya’s first instinct was to evolve right away and burn him to a crisp… but he could feel that Piemon was strong. And last time he tried to burn someone stronger than him to a crisp, Kouji had gotten hurt. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He relaxed his arms slightly, but the data rings were still circling his hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s pretend that we’re actually considering it —which we’re not—; what would ‘surrender’ mean?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Piemon chuckled once again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, let’s see… You would have to let me and my army take control of the Digital World; if no one resists, no one dies. And as a show of thanks, I will even allow the Three Angels to remain free.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Except for Angemon, of course.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The children, Angels, and Digimon companions exchanged brief looks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you expect us to believe that’s all you want?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, you’re right, Warrior of Wind. I did forget something… It’s not important to me, but it’s necessary for everything else to go smoothly.” The chuckle turned into laughter, and the clown pointed at someone in the back of their group.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ll have to give up the Warrior of Darkness as well.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The other five warriors and the three Angels stood in front of Kouichi, daring Piemon to go through all of them before taking him away. Kouichi himself stood defiantly, but he couldn’t deny that the seed of an idea had been planted in his mind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Like </span>
  <em>
    <span>hell </span>
  </em>
  <span>we’re giving Kouichi to you!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Piemon continued to show his amusement; at what exactly, they couldn’t tell.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s fine, Warrior of Light! See, this will be much more fun to me— Defeating Chosen Children is a favorite game of mine. It’s been a while since I got the chance to do it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before the children could process his words, Piemon turned around and gestured to his underlings.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll leave for now, but next time we meet, I won’t be as considerate.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Evilmon holding V-mon flung the little Digimon away before running to catch up to his master, and Angemon flew to rescue his helper before he was harmed further. The force of the throw awakened him, and he looked up to the Angel.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Lord Angemon—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s fine, V-mon. You’re safe now.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As Angemon left to tend to V-mon’s injuries, and both Darcmon and Turuiemon went on a short patrol to make sure Piemon and his followers had indeed left the castle, the children sat around the Digital World map. Frustrated, Junpei slapped his hands against it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Damn! I really wanted to kick his butt!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, but at least we have an idea of what he’s after.” Takuya turned to look at Kouichi. “Any idea of what he wants to do with you? Or, </span>
  <em>
    <span>to </span>
  </em>
  <span>you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“From experience, I’d say he wants to corrupt the Spirits to use them against all of you,” he commented absent-mindedly, as his gaze was focused on the Continent of Darkness, where they could see how some of the troops stationed there were starting to move out towards other areas. Beside him, Kouji crossed his arms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But he said he wanted </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>specifically, not just the Spirits of Darkness.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And Piemon included you as a condition to ‘surrender’, so assuming he was telling the truth, he wouldn’t need you to fight us.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not only that, Izumi-san.” Tomoki was once again holding a hand over his chin, and most of the present turned to look at him. “He didn’t ask for Kouichi-san until we prompted him to say more. He seems very interested in fighting us and having control over the Digital World, but he outright said having Kouichi-san wasn’t very important to him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Izumi hummed as she remembered what Piemon had said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He did say Kouichi was necessary ‘for everything else to go smoothly’... So there could be someone else that does need him with different plans to Piemon’s.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Junpei shook his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Piemon seems too interested in his goal of taking control of the Digital World though; not exactly the picture of someone big on teamwork.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That doesn’t mean he’s not working for someone else.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone turned to look at Kouichi, who was still examining the Continent of Darkness on the map.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The Royal Knights were fighting for Lucemon because they were promised they would have the Human World for themselves, right? It’s possible that Piemon has a master who is allowing him to take over the Digital World for himself, on the condition that he can retrieve me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone stayed in silence for a while, pondering over the similarities of the situation. Eventually, Kouji sighed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Piemon does come from another world, so ours could be inconsequential to whoever wants Kouichi.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Bokomon,” Takuya turned around to look at them, “don’t you have any information about Piemon in your book?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm…” Bokomon took out the book and started going through it with the agility of someone well used to it, paused once, and then snapped it shut. “There is nothing about Piemon here, Takuya-han. But, it does say the Evilmon are not very strong individually.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I see. I wish he would have talked more. If he’s working for someone, it would be useful to know who that is.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We should continue this later, there are reinforcements coming.” Kouichi stood up and pointed at one of the groups that had left the Continent of Darkness, who replaced one of the groups in the Area of Ice, who had replaced another so the closest groups to the Forest Kingdom could get there. “The forces that are already here are moving towards the castle as well. We have to stop them.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They stood up and were already running towards the entrance of the room when Bokomon stood up as well and chased after them, dragging Neemon by the waistband of his pants.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Everyone, wait for us!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Takuya turned his face around to look at them without stopping. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, Bokomon, stay here! Please tell Darcmon and the others about this!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leaving behind a disappointed Bokomon, the six children ran through the broken crystal and out of Angemon’s castle.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“They are still far from here, how should we get there?” Junpei asked as they were going down the tree.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We can carry Tomoki and the twins with Shutumon and Vritramon, and you can fly on your own, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I agree with Takuya’s idea.” As Izumi said it, they reached the base of the tree, and they immediately took out the digivices.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Spirit Evolution!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Blitzmon!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Vritramon!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shutumon!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The twins each held onto one of Vritramon’s shoulders, while Tomoki rode on Shutumon’s feathery back. A buzz traveled through their bodies and settled in the pit of their stomachs as they flew over the Forest Kingdom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They really were back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A memory flashed through Kouichi’s mind, shattering his momentaneous excitement, and he turned to look at Kouji. He could practically feel that same excitement running through his body, eager to get closer to the ground so he could evolve like Takuya, Izumi, and Junpei had. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But Kouji’s heart— </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouji turned to look at him as well. Kouichi knew that concern was written all over his face, and Kouji frowned at him, before shaking his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>You can’t stop me.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kouji—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t stay behi—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Nightmare Shock</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hundreds of voices called out at once, followed by an incredible amount of supersonic waves that caused the airborne warriors to fall into the sea of trees beneath them. Distracted by the joy of being in their second home, they had inadvertently gotten closer and closer to the vast army of Evilmon hiding just under the dense foliage. Faced with the imminent crash, Kouichi, Kouji, and Tomoki took out their digivices.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Spirit Evolution!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Löwemon!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wolfmon!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Blizzarmon!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The three were able to control their landing better than Blitzmon, Shutumon, and Vritramon did, and thus started the counterattack with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ewig Schlaf</span>
  </em>
  <span>, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Licht Sieger</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avalanche Throw</span>
  </em>
  <span>, taking out some of the Evilmon on the front. Soon enough, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mjölnir Thunder</span>
  </em>
  <span>, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wind of Pain</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Corona Blaster</span>
  </em>
  <span> followed behind them, taking out even more of the Evilmon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Bokomon had said, the Evilmon themselves weren’t strong. Which is why they—and Piemon—relied on numbers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Dunkel Schneiden!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Licht Kugel!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Avalanche Step!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Thor’s Hammer!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Gilgamesh Slicer!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Flame Storm!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even when one of their attacks took care of several Evilmon at a time, their army didn’t seem to go down in size.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Dunkel Messer!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Zwei Sieger!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Gletscher Torpedo!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Lightning Bomber!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Gilgamesh Upper!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Crimson Fanger!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t until several hours later, when morning was approaching, that they could finally defeat the few dozen soldiers that didn’t run away once their numbers had reached below a hundred.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just as Löwemon was approaching to hit one of the last of them with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Blitzen Speer</span>
  </em>
  <span>, it spoke up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Enjoy your victory while you can, Warrior of Darkness! Master Piemon already has—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Strahl!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wolfmon attacked from behind Löwemon, and they only managed to exchange a nod before everyone devolved, all of them on the brink of passing out from exhaustion when a series of short coughs and gasps for air caught their attention.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kouji!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi tripped over himself to get to his brother, who was clutching his chest and resting against one of the undamaged trees in the battlefield.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m— I’m fine—,” he said between coughs. “Just need to rest for a bit.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The doctor said—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>what the doctor said.” More coughs interrupted him. “There’s no way I’ll stay back in a situation like this.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of a Trailmon approaching woke them up; it was night time again. Tomoki managed to reach the tracks just in time to ask Angler to give them a ride back to the Forest Terminal. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m really hungry now… Good thing you brought so much food, Junpei-san.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. This is the fourth day we’re here, so I’m not sure how long it’ll last. Let's just enjoy the food from the human world while we can.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tomoki nodded, and looked down at his feet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wonder... how long we’ll stay this time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The question echoed in all of their heads, and they stayed in silence until Takuya sighed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who knows… When we went back home last time, it was almost like we had never left, so at least we don’t have to worry about being missed at home.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Izumi sighed as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I guess that’s true. I kinda want to know how that happened.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re here—! Oh no…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The heaviness in Angler’s voice alerted the children, and as they ran out of the car, they were able to see the damage on the Station and on the staircase leading up to Seraphimon’s—to Angemon’s— castle that definitely wasn’t there when they had left a day before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Angler, wait for us please! We’ll come back!” Takuya yelled as they ran up the stairs, fueled only by adrenaline and worry. Once they were out of Angler’s hearing range, Izumi caught up to Takuya.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you think we’ll need to escape?”   </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know, that’s why I asked Angler to stay. Even if </span>
  <em>
    <span>we </span>
  </em>
  <span>don’t escape, maybe the others will need to.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right… I hope they’re okay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While they knew some damage had been done to the castle during Piemon’s visit, it certainly hadn’t been to </span>
  <em>
    <span>this </span>
  </em>
  <span>degree. The broken glass scattered on the floor shattered even further under their feet as they ran straight to the great hall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was no one except for V-mon, who had been injured even further, laying on one side of the room with a ring of Digital Code flickering on and off around him. As they approached, the ring disappeared, and the children couldn’t help but sigh in relief once V-mon finally opened his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Warriors…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>V-mon closed his eyes again as the children moved things around to make him more comfortable, but woke up moments later to Junpei bandaging his arm. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Warriors… you have to hurry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“V-mon, what happened?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Almost immediately after you left… Piemon came back. The Evilmon destroyed the castle, and Piemon made Lord Angemon and the others disappear. Bokomon and your friends too… He said  to tell the Warriors that he’ll be waiting at Lucemon’s old castle or you wouldn’t see them again’...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tears were running down his cheeks as V-mon fell unconscious once again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still sitting around V-mon, Takuya sighed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do we even know where Lucemon’s old castle is?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I do.” Everyone looked at Kouichi. “It’s the castle ruins where Ranamon and Mercuremon held Izumi, Tomoki, and Junpei hostage, after— Well, you know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You knew about that, Kouichi-san?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just because I didn’t work </span>
  <em>
    <span>with </span>
  </em>
  <span>them all the time doesn’t mean I didn’t know what they were doing…” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After taking whatever supplies they could find around the castle —or, what was left of it— the six children returned to the Forest Terminal with V-mon. Upon seeing their faces, Angler hesitated to talk.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So… What’s the plan…?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Takuya sighed. They were definitely going to meet Piemon and fight to get everyone back, but it would be dangerous to take V-mon along. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“First, we need to find a safe place where V-mon can be taken care of, and then have to head towards the Continent of Darkness.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A shiver ran throughout all of Angler’s body, but he did his best to hide it from the Warriors. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then…If we have to go to the Continent of Darkness…We can ask the Burgermon to take care of him…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tomoki’s face lit up as soon as he heard Angler.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then, the Burgermon are safe?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“For the most part, from what I’ve heard.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Angler’s whistle echoed through the forest as he departed from the terminal with the six Warriors and an injured V-mon in tow. After finally having the chance to eat, they started dozing off again when their adrenaline went back to normal levels.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seeing as they were all fast asleep, Kouichi left and sat down in the next car, burying his head in his hands. If he was going to be assaulted by memories of Duskmon, then he’d rather let it happen in private.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was uncomfortable. Even in his daily life, he would have those memories flash across his mind, leaving a burning impression that didn’t disappear easily. It was even worse whenever he got angry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But then a day would come when he got to see Kouji, or they would talk on the phone, and he could relax again. He had found Kouji, and Kouji had found him. But everything he did—killing Arbormon with no reason, almost killing Kouji himself, and attacking Takuya and the others—wouldn’t be erased just because neither his brother or his friends held it against him anymore.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He really still couldn’t understand why they didn’t.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Niisan?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought you were asleep, Kouji.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was, but then you left.” Kouji sat down beside Kouichi, and he couldn’t help but chuckle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re the one who keeps saying we have no such thing as ‘twin telepathy’.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It wasn’t that. The door makes noise, you know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry for waking you up, then.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouji didn’t reply immediately, and looked at his brother in silence for a moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t sleep when you’re suffering on your own.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi’s smile disappeared from his face and turned away from Kouji. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m fine now, go back to sleep. You need it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouji sighed and leaned back into the seat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll stay awake until you tell me what’s wrong. So, the sooner you tell me, the sooner I’ll go to sleep.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even if Kouji was trying to be stubborn, the truth was that Kouichi was right and he did need to sleep. His brother was being stubborn too; he remained in silence for so long that Kouji’s eyes started closing on their own, and he feared he might fall asleep before he talked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I keep remembering everything I did.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi spoke so suddenly that he almost jumped out of his seat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“As Duskmon?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. But not just that. Mercuremon, Ranamon, Grottomon, and Arbormon, too… The things they were doing, the plans they had, when they failed, and when they won. So, after Piemon appeared, I kept thinking ‘What would they do in this situation? What would</span>
  <em>
    <span> I</span>
  </em>
  <span> have done in this situation?’”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s why you were watching the map after Piemon left. To check the Evilmon’s movements.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes. But I only managed to fall in the trap. Piemon wanted us away from the castle so he could take everyone else as prisoner.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We would have eventually gone there, anyway. If we had ignored them, I’m sure they would have started attacking innocent Digimon to get our attention.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi still didn’t look convinced.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You were also the only one who knew those ruins used to be Lucemon’s castle.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I guess.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How did you know about what Ranamon and Mercuremon were doing there?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi turned away from Kouji ever so slightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was actually involved with the original plan, which was for me to beat you up and take you all there. But you took that attack for Takuya, then you devolved and I saw you. I had my memories locked away at the moment, but seeing you hurt felt wrong. That’s why only Junpei, Izumi, and Tomoki ended up at the castle as hostages.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouji thought for a moment, relieving those memories. Was there something he could say to make his brother feel better? Or at least, not as bad as he was feeling at the moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well… If it wasn’t for the fright you gave Takuya back then, we might not have been able to save them.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi turned back to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you mean?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Before that fight, I argued with Takuya about thinking before going into battle or he would get someone killed. As you might have figured out, he didn’t listen, which is why I ended up jumping in front of the attack. After that, he realized he needed to think things through before acting, which is the only reason we were able to win against Mercuremon and Ranamon when I was injured and the others had no access to their digivices. He came up with a plan before rushing into battle.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi remained in silence for a while, but seeing his shoulders relax and the tension leave, Kouji finally closed his eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...I see.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kouichi turned his whole body to face his brother, who was already sleeping.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks, Kouji.”</span>
</p>
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